Napoleon Complex Love Affair
by t-peezy
Summary: Forced to chaperone her cousin, Miriam Sinclair accidentally meets Carlos Garcia of Big Time Rush. Carlos falls for her, but she rejects him at every turn. Will he break past her rough exterior and capture her heart? Summary kinda sucks but a good story.
1. Chapter 1

Miriam Sinclair was in hell. What was hell, exactly? Being stuck in a car with her wealthy, spoiled cousin. Her cousin, Ashley, convinced her parents to let her cousin, Miriam, ride with her to meet Ashley's favorite band Big Time Rush. Being the pompous parents of Ashley, they told Miriam of how Ashley only has her learner's permit and needed an adult in the car. She reluctantly agreed and was riding passenger to her fifteen-year old cousin. The two were polar opposites. Ashley looked way older than her age and Miriam looked as if she could be taking trigonometry with Ashley. It frustrated her to no end that she was a woman of twenty-three yet she had the body of a teen. She knew any onlooker would assume she was the teenager and Ashley the adult.

It was obvious these two were oil and water. Ashley was like any other teenage girl. She listen to all the top 40 hits, shop, text for hours on end, not really caring about the bill her prominent parents get every month. Miriam, on the other hand, was an old soul. She loved old jazz and blues and electronica, soul and world music, watching countless old black and white movies, preferably silent films, and taking a liking to the simpler things in life. She silently cursed as her cousin almost ran a stop-sign. That bottle of wine she had would be calling her name tonight. The silence in the car was long and torturous. Ashley finally decided to turn on the radio, which made Miriam's teeth grind…it was a Keri Hilson song.

"Miriam, why do you listen to old people music? I mean, I'm pretty sure even people your age listen to Britney Spears. Ooh, you would love her new song!"

"I listen to modern artists…they're just in a different genre." she had to fight the urge to reach into her bag for her much-needed cigarette. It was going to be a long day. "Where are we going again?"

"I wanna see Big Time Rush. Their album is awesome! We can listen to them now. Just look though my iPhone." Miriam was scrolling through Ashley's iPhone appalled at her crap taste in music. She found the artist and almost gagged when the first song started playing. She would definitely do some musical cleansing tonight. "What do you think?"

"No comment." Miriam knew she spoke blasphemy to her cousin. She could tell Ashley was offended.

"Well, at least the people I listen to didn't die twenty years ago." Miriam just let the catty comment roll off. They reached the store, and when Ashley parked and sent a text to her friends that she arrived. "Emma just texted me saying they saved me a spot! I can't wait to meet James. Oh, you don't have to hang around if you don't want to."

"Yeah, I was going to look to see if they had any Godard films."

"Who's that?"

"Jean-Luc Godard? One of the greatest directors of twentieth-century French cinema?"

"Whatever…." Ashley gave her an annoyed eye roll.

They got of the car and entered the building. Of course, Miriam was not surprised when Ashley pretended to not know her and bee-lined toward her friends. She was fine by that. Her head was already throbbing with screaming teenage and young girls anticipating a glimpse of the band. It did pique her interest in who the hell they were losing their minds over. She found a poster advertising today's meet and greet. The first thing that came to her mind was they looked like college rapists. Not the 'sneak around in the bushes and stalk you' kind, but the disgusting frat-boy 'I'm gonna to get into a passed-out drunk, underage girls panties' type rapists. Miriam scoffed as she made her way downstairs to the movie section.

The time had arrived for the boys to make their debut in Chicago. They all walked out and was immediately bombarded with high-pitched wails. Most of them wanting James to take off his shirt. It had been a long road for the guys. Now, being an international success made every sacrifice to move from Minnesota to Los Angeles worth it. Carlos noticed that when their names were announced one by one, his got the least screams. Part of him accepted he was not the hot one in the group, but he was becoming uncomfortable with being labeled 'The Short One' of the group. It was three hours of signing autographs, taking pictures, accepting fake marriage proposals when Big Time Rush was allowed an hour break. Everyone went to the employee section of the store making sure their heavy security was in use.

"Our fans are really hyped today." Logan was grabbing a cheese cube from the numerous food platters they requested.

"I know. We get to spend a few weeks in this great city to record our new album. It's gonna be sweet!" Kendall grabbed a water bottle.

Carlos wanted to go outside and get some air. He walked to the exit and made sure the coast was clear for him to go outside. Carlos took in a deep breath of Chicago air, but soon regretted it since he was near the company dumpsters. He look around and saw that even in an alley, the place had a certain gritty charm to it. Making the album in Chicago was an odd choice, but the producer Gustavo collaborates with lives in the city and hates flying. Suddenly, Carlos smells smoke and notices it's coming from a person. He looked closely at the figure he actually towers over. Finally someone shorter than he is. It was a big afro that caught his eye. It was massive and it made the person match his height. Another puff of smoke blew in Carlos' direction before he coughed.

"Um…excuse me…do you mind…putting that out?"

"No…." Carlos saw the person halfway turn to him before puffing on the cigarette again.

"Well, I don't smoke, and I like to live a bit longer without getting second-hand smoke." he was trying to be polite as possible, but one of his pet peeves were people blowing smoke in his face.

Miriam didn't know who the jerk was, but she wanted to clock him. How dare some teenager is preaching to her about the dangers of smoking. He didn't understand. Spending hours and hours hearing screaming girls was enough to break down. She wasn't a regular smoker, just from time to time when shit got too stressful she would smoke to relax. The guy was rambling some more until Miriam had enough. She took one last drag and threw it to the ground.

"Look, I don't need some kid to lecture me about morals. I'm stressed out and if I want to smoke that cigarette to ease stress, I'll do it!" she stared him in the face ready to finish giving the guy a piece of her mind but paused when she realized it was one of the guys she saw earlier on the poster. "You're one of those guys...the ones signing the autographs today."

"That would be me." great he was discovered. Though, she didn't look like a fan. She would be screaming by now.

"Great, Ashley is gonna piss me off even more today."

"Ashley?"

"Yeah, she's my cousin...she loves your music. She keeps talking about some guy named James...you're not James, are you?"

"Nope, my name is Carlos. James is the one all the girls love. He's The Hot One."

"And what are you?"

"The Short One. I'm an adult and people still treat me like a kid."

"Same here. I'm so sick of everyone calling me shorty...I mean, when a guy says 'ay yo shorty' to some other girl, it's not literal."

"Yeah, whenever there's a photo-shoot, I'm always in the front."

"Poor you, I have a baby-face and my shortness. People always ask me what I'm going to do after I graduate high school."

"I get that too."

"At least you don't have creepy old men hitting on you because they think you're some naïve teenager they can molest."

"I have the reverse. I have teenage girls want to sleep with me because they forget that I'm over twenty-one."

"Ugh, don't even say twenty-one. I get carded everywhere I go. I don't even try anymore. I pull out my ID before they ask."

"It's finally nice to meet someone who understands how it feels to be short."

"Just because we are vertically challenged does not mean we are alike. We are just two people who happen to be short. And besides, you're taller than me."

"Please, by three inches. To the bloggers, I'm called 'The Keebler Elf'."

"Four inches...I'm barely 5'2''...I'm wearing wedges."

"So, miss 5'2'', do you have a name?"

"Why do you want to know my name? I'm not a fan. My snotty cousin is."

"Come on...I'm tired of being the only one in the Short People Club. Please?" Miriam rolled her eyes at Carlos' sad eyes. She wanted to smack the expression off his face.

"Miriam. The name's Miriam."

"What kind of name is Miriam?"

"What kind of name is Carlos?"

"It's a normal one."

"I was named after an African musician, Miriam Makeba. Sounds pretty normal to me."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Miriam."

"Whatever..." Miriam felt her jean pocket vibrate. She took out her phone and saw it was her cousin. "Listen, I gotta go. Thank you for wasting my cig."

"Hey, maybe if you could give me your number..."

"No way in hell..." Miriam walked back inside to another hallway.

Carlos wanted to slap himself for sounding like an idiot. Despite the fact she was rude and she smoked, he thought she was cute. Her coco-caramel skin and massive Afro made him look past her hard demeanor. He was about to enter when he saw a piece of red paper at his foot. He picked it up and saw it was a napkin for a place named 'Gin Alley'. He knew he would not get Miriam out of his head , and he had to see her again. He had to win her over somehow.


	2. Chapter 2

Big Time Rush had just finished a first-time meeting with the producer. Everyone was excited to work on the new album. After the meeting, they returned to their luxurious four-bedroom loft. They have never heard of a loft having so many rooms. The guys spent the rest of the day chilling in the temporary living space. It was night and Kendall, James, and Carlos were in the living room while Logan was washing the dishes. They were celebrities and all of them still felt like they were the four dogs from Minnesota. Carlos knew it was getting late and the nightlife scene had just begun. Earlier, he searched for 'Gin Alley' and found out it was a bar and grill. He didn't want to seem like a stalker, but there was something about Miriam that made him curious. She challenged him and didn't care he was a celebrity...in fact...she didn't care for him. Carlos got up from the couch and grabbed his coat.

"Where are you going?" Kendall called over his shoulder.

"I'm going for a walk. Maybe get a corndog at a diner or something."

"Have to get your fix? Man, will you ever stop eating those things?" James cut in. "If you stop eating all those corndogs, you might have washboard abs like this..." he lifted his shirt.

"Okay, we get. You have abs. Just be careful, okay, Carlos?"

"Thanks, Logie. Alright, I'll see you bros later. Don't wait up!"

They all said bye to Carlos while he exited the loft. He didn't tell them the real reason of where he was going because they would talk him out of it. They would say that she was probably trying to exploit Carlos and his fame. Him and James had several experiences with girls like that. He hailed a cab and told him the address of 'Gin Alley'. After a five minute drive, Carlos was in front of the place. His first reaction was it was small, yet the place was packed. He could hear blues music blasting out into the street. It was odd and he looked inside and saw the establishment were full of older people. It would be terribly embarrassing if instead of Miriam being there, someone like her mother...or by the music, her grandmother, were there. He just took it as an opportunity to listen to some other genre of music and stepped inside and sat a booth nearest to the exit. He felt completely out of place and knew this was not his cup of tea. But something about the place felt like Miriam would be there. He scanned the room and saw a couple of young people there, so he didn't give up hope. He was looking to see if Miriam so he tried looking around for an afro. The only problem was there were three other people with afros. He finally spotted her. She was wearing an employee uniform. She was taking someone's order when she spotted him. She rolled her eyes, then turned her attention to the customer. After taking the customer's order, Carlos saw Miriam coming towards him like a freight train...and she looked very unhappy.

"I thought celebrities were the one's who are stalked. Not the other way around! How did you know I work here? You following me or something?" Miriam forgot all about the service with a smile bullshit. This man was stalking her.

"I'm not stalking you...okay, it might seem like I'm stalking you. You left this, and I just thought this one of the places you like to visit."

"Glad you know when my rent is due."

"Huh?"

"The other side, jackass..." she rolled her eyes. Carlos flipped over the napkin and saw the words 'rent due Monday' written on the back of the napkin. He gave her an embarrassed smile. "I'm surprised you're here. You know people can smoke in here...what, is it past your groupies' bed time and you knew you wouldn't be spotted?"

"No, I actually wanted to see you."

"That doesn't make you sound like a stalker at all...what do you want to drink, stalker?"

"What's on tap?"

"I'm sorry, I have to see some ID..."

"You're joking right?"

"Sir, this is a twenty-one and up establishment...I need to see some ID."

"Come on..." he stared at Miriam still thinking she was joking until he stared square into her eyes. He sighed and grabbed his wallet and pulled out his ID. Of course she knew he was twenty-one, she just wanted to mess with him.

"Wow, you turned twenty-one nine months ago...you're practically a kid."

"How old are you? I'm surprised they let you work here."

"Twenty-three, and thank you for committing cardinal rule number one of asking a woman her age. Be right back with your drink...oh, and don't even dare think about staring at my ass."

Carlos gave her a sarcastic chuckle as she walked away. He risked a peek at her ass and found it was plump and very round. While waiting for his beer, Carlos decided to listen to the music. It was definitely different from Big Time Rush. It sounded something close to country music...or what would've been country music in about 1920. Despite the loud music, the place was pretty calm as the people just sat and listened to the music. Some of the older customers listened to the music with their eyes closed, like they could envision the good old days. Looking at Miriam, he could see that she easily chatted with the older customers. She went to the bar and he saw she was coming towards his booth with his beer.

"Your beer. You want to set up a tab?"

"Nope. I'm just having this one."

"Aw, is that your limit? You know you're making the stereotype of us short people true."

"What stereotype?"

"Short people can't hold their liquor..."

"Very funny. Just so you know, I can throw many of these back."

"Yeah, this may be Chicago, but we have TMZ just the same as you in LA have, so you can't get away with that spoiled celebrity shit."

"Short-stack! What's shakin'!" Carlos saw an elderly man entering the place. He was a dark-skinned man with white hair.

"Old Smokey...how's your leg?"

"My joints are killin' me but I ain't complainin'. Blues sounding mighty good right now. Who's the young kid?"

"This is Carlos...he's in an obnoxious pop group and we met when I was being Ashley's personal chaperone."

"Hi." Carlos tried to ignore Miriam's insults and introduced himself to the man.

"You're a good one. Miriam here is one spitfire. Girl nearly went toe-to-toe with a man twice her size...and three times her height, too."

"What did he do?"

"Stare at my ass." Carlos' smile faded a bit because he was guilty of doing that earlier.

"I'll never forget the sight. Po' chile was backing down in the corner as soon as Miriam came at him. I just wanted to say hi to ya. Nice meeting you, Carlos."

"Bye, Old Smokey."

"That guy seems really nice."

"Cut the crap. You must be so desperate for ass. I thought your little groupies are after you waiting at your little hotel room."

"I'm not that kind of guy...and neither are my band mates. We are just four guys from Minnesota."

"And I'm supposed to give a damn because..."

"Never mind."

Miriam walked away to wait on some more customers. Carlos loved the sparring match he has with Miriam. She was strange and had a hard demeanor. He couldn't see why she wasn't interested in him. He didn't think he was a Hollywood guy, in fact, not once did he mention his celebrity status or money. He sat there listening to the blues and almost laughed at how he began to understand what some of the blues singers were talking about. One song told the story of a man loving a woman who didn't love him back. Of course he didn't love Miriam, he just found her interesting, quick-witted. Miriam was waiting on customers and found Carlos still sitting in his same spot. She even had to admit to herself that he wasn't bad looking. Still, she had celebrity clients come in before trying to turn on their charm only to make her another notch on their belt. Carlos was watching Miriam's every move. Carlos noticed Miriam disappeared for awhile only to return with a jacket on and a purse.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Carlos knew it was a stupid question, but he had to say something to get her attention.

"Yep..." Miriam rolled her eyes as she headed towards the exit. Carlos whipped out his wallet and threw the money for the beer on the table, and walked out to catch up with her.

"So, it's still early, do you have plans of going somewhere?"

"Carlos, I'm not some groupie that wanna have sex with you...give it a rest. We met once and you think we should be bed buddies? I don't roll that way..."

"Look, I know we barely know each other! I found the one person in Chicago who doesn't care that I'm in a famous band or that I could get them connections into the business. Maybe I just want to know you...as a friend." Carlos never thought he would ever bare his soul to a complete stranger like he did just now. He saw Miriam's straight face as she rolled her eyes.

"Do you wanna get some coffee?"

"What coffee place is open at this time of night?"

"Do you want some damn coffee or not?"

"Sure."

"Follow me." Carlos walked alongside Miriam as he wondered where they were going. All he wanted was to get to know her and now was his chance. Maybe he would would change her mind about him, and, hopefully, Big Time Rush.


	3. Chapter 3

Carlos knew this was risky, but he couldn't deny his attraction to Miriam...though he would like her to reciprocate those feelings. He walked with Miriam to her car not sure how to keep the conversation going. Miriam was tired, but she wasn't stupid. She had her pepper spray ready to use if he tried anything. Plus, that taser she had in her purse. She opened the door and climbed inside to open his door. Once Carlos was in, Miriam cranked up the car and instantly Carlos heard music he's never heard of. They drove off in silence until Carlos decided to break the ice.

"What music is this?"

"Bossa Nova. I had to do some musical cleansing when I was with my cousin yesterday. You hate it?"

"No, it sounds nice. It makes me think of being on a tropical island. You really don't listen to any pop music, do you?"

"Wow, I thought Hollywood guys were dumb as hell...I was wrong. Look, as much as my cousin shoved your music down my throat...I will never get into it. Honestly, don't you want a friend who enjoys your music? I mean, I would be one shitty friend, since I consider your music as water torture."

"You really hate our music that much? Come on, you have to like at least one song." Carlos was going to list some tracks but saw Miriam glare at him. They turned a corner when Miriam stopped her car in front of a building.

"We're here. And please don't tell people you're from a pop band? Like anyone here would give a damn."

Carlos just let out a chuckle as they got out of her car and walked into the place. They were bombarded with the strong scent of coffee which instantly gave them a slight caffeine high. Carlos realized it was nothing like Starbucks. It was an authentic, non-commercialized coffee house. They had live music which was some other strange music he's never heard of. Carlos just realized, he was exposed to three different type of music genres in one night. Miriam just let out an annoyed sigh as she saw Carlos face fill with awe and amazement. The place had chairs, but Carlos could see a couple of couches in the place. It was yet another place where he felt out of place. He saw a woman with dirty-blonde dreadlocks coming near them.

"Miriam, haven't seen you in a minute. Have a seat."

"Who's that?"

"The owner of this joint." they sat a table. Miriam felt like she was at home. The atmosphere was that relaxing to her. Carlos, on the other hand, knew this is where the art crowd hung out. "You look uncomfortable. What? Expecting some peppy barista?" before Carlos could answer, the woman returned to the table.

"Hi, I'm assuming you're new. My name's Amy. Miriam, the usual?"

"Yeah."

"And what will you have..."

"Carlos."

"What will you have, Carlos?"

"Um...I think I'll have a caramel latte. Oh, could you make mine decaf?"

"Alright. Your orders coming right up." the woman left and Carlos sat looking around the place. He wasn't surprised that Miriam wasn't talking to him. She invited him for coffee and that was it. Though, he thought it would be boring to not talk to her.

"This place is really interesting. When did you find out about it? LA has tons of coffee places, but it's nothing like this..."

"I used to come here when I went to college. It's where I used to come here and think...well, I still come here."

"Cool, what did you study?"

"Gender Studies and Journalism."

"I always wondered what would've happened if I went to college. I played hockey real well in Minnesota. Maybe would've gotten a scholarship."

"You play hockey?"

"You like hockey?"

"Yeah, any sport where guys can beat the pure shit out of each other is okay with me."

"Okay, you haven't cursed at me nor have you made fun of me since we got here."

"Please, don't tell me you're one those sick masochistic freaks who like people to treat them like shit...if that's the case, you got the wrong girl..."

"No! It's not that at all. I mean, you seem to really hate my guts when we first met, then basically busting my chops at the bar."

"You caught me on a good night."

"This is a good night? Damn, what are you like on bad nights?"

"Do you really want to find out?" Carlos saw her stern face and decided not to press the issue any further. Their orders arrived and Carlos smiled as he saw his caramel latte topped with a mountain of whip cream and caramel syrup. He saw Amy placing Miriam's coffee order on the table. He noticed it had a smell of chocolate and something else he couldn't put his finger on.

"What did you order? It smells really good."

"It's chili mocha."

"Chili mocha? It has spices in it?"

"Sorry if I don't find the super-sugary caramel mocchiato with extra caramel appetizing..."

"First of all, I got a caramel latte. Second, it's decaf."

"The caramel isn't decaf."

"Fine. I know I'm going to get hit by saying this...do you mind if I try some of yours? I don't have cooties..."

"Yeah, but you might have herpes..."

"Ha-ha. I'm clean. Come on, not even a little bit?"

"Fine..." Miriam edged her drink closer to Carlos. He picked up the mug getting more of the spicy smell. Before he took a sip, he grabbed the spoon that was on the table and ladled some mocha on the spoon.

"Wow, this is really good. I have to try it next time."

"There isn't going to be a next time. This is a one time thing. Besides, don't you have to leave for the next town?"

"Actually, Big Time Rush is staying here for a few weeks to record our next album."

"Are you serious? I have to put up with your ass being in my city? That's bullshit."

"It's not your city. Chicago is big enough for the both of us short people. So, tell me more about yourself...since it's the only night I will see you." he sipped from his mug.

"Alright, I'll humor your ass. What do you want to know?"

" I see you like different types of music, what other things do you like? Movies, food, anything..."

"I like old silent films. I know people my age wouldn't care for them, but something about early film interests me. Also, I'm a sucker for foreign films. Don't get me wrong, I may look like an artsy bitch, but I love my gory action films. Kill Bill is my favorite."

"I love action films! See, we have more in common than you know."

"Whatever..."

Carlos and Miriam talked some more. She eased up on being mean to him, though she still gave him a hard time. In a way, though she would never admit to herself, Miriam was glad to get to know Carlos. He didn't seem like an arrogant, preening celebrity being entitled to what he wanted. If she wasn't so guarded, Miriam might even consider at least being acquaintances with him. Carlos even told her about his love for corndogs to which she relentlessly teased him. Though she couldn't deny she liked eating corndogs. He even asked more about the silent films. After Carlos offered to pay, they left the place. He knew he wanted to get to know her more once this outing was done. She was just too interesting to know get to know further.

"I can see why you get the chilli mocha. It's really good. I still can't believe you would not order decaf...you will be up all night."

"I have to figure out my bills and stuff, so I needed the caffeine. Is this where you live? Let me guess, the inside looks just as expensive as the outside..."

"Very funny." Carlos was about to get out of the car, but something was nagging him, telling him that he needed to ask her. "Miriam?"

"What?"

"I know it may seem like the only thing I want from you is to fuck you, but I really want to get to know you. I don't know why you interest me...you just do..."

"Carlos, as much as you say what your intentions are, I'm still skeptical of you. Maybe our paths will cross eventually...just not now. Are you cool with that?"

"Yeah, I'm cool with it. I guess should go. Thank you for the coffee. Bye, Short-stack." Carlos smiled.

"Hey, only Old Smokey can call me that!" Carlos let out a chuckle knowing he would miss hearing her snark. "Goodnight, Carlos. And good luck with your album that I won't buy." Carlos chuckled as Miriam's car sped off. He walked into the apartment noticing everyone was asleep. He slipped into his room thinking about Miriam.


	4. Chapter 4

Miriam was in her car driving to the store. It had been a regular week of the usual: work, worrying about future bills, dealing with her family. It was chilly and she was running out of soup and other things. She reached the store after being cut off several times to the point she flipped off someone in a Hummer. Miriam grabbed her list and headed for the carts. She had gotten most of the stuff on the list when she passed by the isle of magazines. She was on her way through the isle when she saw a teen magazine with the band Big Time Rush on there. Her eyes rolled as soon as she saw that goofy grin of Carlos. She thought she was free of him after getting coffee. She haven't told anyone that she met with Carlos because people would assume she cared. With another eye-roll, Miriam continued her shopping. She was in the toiletries isle when she heard a familiar voice coming behind her.

"Miriam? Wow, small world." Carlos grinned, though he was shocked to see her.

"Really? Out of all the stores in Chicago, not to mention this city is really damn big, you show up here. Damn! Look, I was nice the first time...but, I'm about five seconds from calling the police!"

"I'm not stalking you. I came here to get a few things. Me and the guys were writing songs at the producer's studio. This store is close to where the studio is. I swear I didn't know you shopped here."

"You just expect me to believe that? There are hundreds, thousands of grocery stores in Chicago and you choose this one."

"Honest."

"For someone who's wanting a conquest, you are pretty damn persistent."

"Why do you think all I want to do is get into your pants?"

"Let me see...you're a musician spending a short amount of time in a city. You have some issues with you being 'The Short One' in the band and you need me, someone who is shorter, to stroke your ego."

"Ouch. I would be hurt if all that was true. Are you sure you weren't a Psych major?" Carlos saw her throw an angry glare his direction. "Just let me get to know you. I kept thinking about you. I thought I was never going to see you again." Miriam couldn't lie. She also thought of Carlos. Not in a romantic way but in that way you randomly think of the person you met in passing.

"What do you want? Cuz I have a shopping to do."

"You want to shop together? I only have to get a few things." Miriam hadn't noticed his incognito look of wearing shades and a skullcap. If it wasn't for his goofy grin, she would think he was just some guy.

"If it gets your rocks off...fine." she once again saw the goofy glint in his eyes. She pushed her cart and they walked together. Carlos texted the guys and told them he was walking for a bit. "Why are you so interested in me. I'm just a waitress at a blues club. I'm not an actress or some reality star. Hell, I don't even make half of what ex-reality stars make. I'm just me."

"I don't know. I guess because you were the first person to not go after me because I'm a famous person. You treated me like everyone else. If it was someone else, they would see me and immediately apologize for yelling at me. You just kept yelling at me."

"You think? I get forced to drag my bratty cousin to your signing event. Get ear-raped by her crap taste in music, and with the added bonus of hearing hundreds of screaming tweens, which gave me a fucking migraine by the way. And for your information, if you wasn't being a bitch about a little bit of cigarette smoke, I wouldn't notice you."

"That's why I like you. You are the perfect person to hang with. You don't put up with any of my bullshit."

"Obviously, I do. Any other person would've been cursed out a long time ago." this made Carlos beam with pride. Miriam saw this and rolled her eyes. "It wasn't a compliment. You still annoy me."

"Fine. I guess I can be a little annoying. Don't say anything." Carlos could see her wanting to respond. There was an awkward silence between them. Miriam wanted nothing but for Carlos to leave her alone, yet a part of her, a microscopic part of her, wanted to hang out with Carlos. She hated to admit that besides his annoying behavior, she found him somewhat cute. "So, are you working tonight at Gin Alley?"

"I have the night off. Why?" she looked at skeptically. Surely he wasn't going to say what she thought he was going to say.

"Nothing."

"If you got something to say, say it!"

"I was wondering if I could chill with you? You're just really interesting and new."

"You make me sound like a shiny toy..."

"Sorry."

"I'll tell you what. You can come by apartment and help me clean."

"How can I hang out when we're cleaning?"

"We can talk and clean at the same time...or is that hard for you?"

"Ha-ha."

Miriam pushed the cart at the checkout line. Maybe Carlos was growing on her. She spent all this time without yelling at him. It's a new record for her. Something about Carlos is intriguing and off-putting at the same time. He makes her want to vomit, yet he's so nice she can't get mad at him for too long. Miriam groceries totaled over her budget and was about to put some things back when Carlos offered to pay for them. She refused but conceded once she saw she was holding up the line.

Miriam gave Carlos a ride to her apartment. She was silent the whole drive. Carlos could tell she was angry. He hoped him offering to pay for the groceries didn't make her change her mind about hanging with him. The last thing Miriam wanted was to look like a gold-digger. She was an independent woman who worked hard to pay for things. Miriam stopped and she parked in the apartment parking lot. Carlos could see it was an average apartment with seven floors.

"This is my place..."

"Are you mad about the groceries thing? You sound mad."

"I'm not a charity case. I don't need any handouts!"

"I wasn't treating you like a charity case. Think of it as a loan. You can pay me back." she looked at him as if he was crazy. "I'm serious."

"Okay...seems fair." they got out of the car, grabbed her groceries, and entered the building. Miriam told Carlos she was on the fifth floor. They took the elevator to her floor and she held bags in one hand and her keys in the other.

"Wow...this place is great." Carlos mouth dropped open how well-decorated her apartment was. It was small, but Miriam managed to fill the place with photos and art. "Your living room is so cute...so tiny..."

"It's not much but it's the only thing I could afford. Unlike you, I'm not a Hollywood celebrity."

"How many times do I have to tell I'm not like that."

"Fine. Let me put on some music. It helps me get motivated to clean." Miriam walked to her laptop and played an internet radio station. "Hope you don't mind African music. If you do, too bad."

"It's fine. This is your place."

Carlos never ceases to be amazed with Miriam. She's like no woman he's ever encountered. He felt like he was a regular guy, though he felt that way before. He would change her mind about people from Hollywood. Originally, he was just some guy from Minnesota, now he's a megastar in a band. Miriam walked to her kitchen, grabbed two beers, and handed one to Carlos. He was so curious about her. Before starting, Miriam put her massive afro in a puff. Carlos helped her move the ottoman from the middle of the floor along with the rug.

Miriam walked to a closet and brought out a vacuum cleaner. Carlos hoped the vacuum cleaner wasn't so loud that she couldn't hear him. She turned it on and it was only slightly noisy. As Miriam turned the vacuum off to move her plants and chairs. Carlos asked more about her. Miriam told Carlos bit and pieces of her childhood growing up in Chicago. In turn, Carlos told her about his life in Minnesota. She vacuumed her carpet making Carlos go into the hallway which had wooden floors.

"Do you mind putting my movies in alphabetical order?"

"You really do that?"

"Yeah, it's kinda my thing. Got a problem with that?" she glared at him.

"No." she chuckled as she grabbed a towel and window cleaner. Carlos couldn't stop himself from looking at her as she cleaned the window. The way the light hit her afro resembled a halo. Carlos returned to the task before him. It was a risk staring at her like that, and he knew if he was caught, Miriam would murder him. He pulled out some DVDs that were out of order. Many of the movies he's never heard of. He paused when he saw 'Friday' in her collection. "You own 'Friday'? I thought you only watched weird, artsy movies. Whoa, you have 'Beauty and the Beast'?"

"I never said those are the only movies I watch. I figured if I said I only watched those types of movies I would scare you off. Apparently, it didn't work."

"I have a question. Can I borrow a movie? I really never watched a silent movie before, and I kinda wanna see what's the deal with them."

"Hmm...let me see." Miriam walked over and scanned the choices of movies. "Here. This one is called 'Nosferatu'...I think this should be a good starter. It's about a vampire...puts those pussy Twilight movies to shame. Just make sure you return it to me before you skip town. If you don't, I know where you live."

"Thanks. I guess I should be going. I had a nice time though we spent it cleaning."

"You're welcome." she beamed a teasing smile. Carlos never really seen her smile. She spent the majority of time they spent together either glaring and rolling her eyes. She had a beautiful smile. Carlos stared at her short stature wanting more to be in the sort of friend-zone. He wanted to ask her out.


	5. Chapter 5

A few days after, Carlos had been in the studio with the rest of the members of Big Time Rush. Hanging out with Miriam gave Carlos inspiration to write a couple of lyrics to a song. He hadn't the chance to watch the movie he borrowed from Miriam, though he did try to see her whenever the guys were on lunch or break. They were all busy making the album, doing local and telephone interviews, rehearsing for local small venues, that Carlos often became too tired to watch it. With a couple of days off, Carlos decided to watch 'Nosferatu'. It was odd for him to watch a movie and not hear someone talking, however, he did enjoy the movie so far. It was better than all the Twilight movies Jo and Camille made the guys watch. It made him feel more manly.

Logan was about to make himself a sandwich when he saw the something out of the corner of his eye. Carlos was watching a silent movie. He normally would've shrugged it off, but something kept eating at him. Lately, Carlos had been secretive. It was subtle like him going out for a walk by himself. Logan noticed how he always smelled like cigarette smoke and alcohol. His mind went to the worst...has Carlos picked up the habit of excessive partying? He was not acting like himself. He started listening to music he would never listen to in a million years. Now, he's watching an old movie. Something was up.

"Uh, Carlos, I think something's wrong with the TV. There's no voices and the color is all weird." James had just came back from the gym when he wondered what Carlos was watching.

"It's a silent movie, James." Logan rolled his eyes as James still didn't know what he was talking about. "They didn't have the technology to record voices back then."

"Whatever, Logie. Carlos, what are doing with a weird movie?" James didn't really stay to hear the answer. Logan forgot about the sandwich and sat on the couch next to Carlos.

"Yeah...you've been acting weird, Carlos. Is everything okay?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Carlos paused the movie once he saw Logan's worried look.

"It's just...you have been taking a lot of walks, not to mention the sudden interest in different music."

"Logan, if you have something to say, just say it!"

"Are you on drugs? I know the celebrity lifestyle can be overwhelming, but I thought we vowed to never change after that Hollywood Fever thing."

"What? I'm not on drugs! Why would you think I'm on drugs?" Logan feared the worst as Carlos was overly defensive.

"The constant disappearances, your change in behavior and music, most nights you smell of smoke and alcohol, you seem to space out and be distracted."

"I'm not on drugs! I never have and never will touch any of that shit!"

"Then what's wrong?"

"I met a girl...I'm starting to like her."

"That's it?" Logan felt stupid for doubting Carlos. "How did you meet her?"

"You know when we did that autograph signing? It was during our break that I went outside. I thought I was alone, but I smelled cigarette smoke. I found out it was this girl. I was so scared that it was a fan and would scream and everything. She didn't. We talked for a bit, and I kept seeing her."

"Carlos..."

"Before you say anything, she's not like all the other girls I've dated. In fact, she's not really a fan of our music. She treated me like a normal person...even cursed at me. I sort of did a stupid thing. After talking to her, I saw she dropped a napkin on the ground. It was from a blues club, so I went to the place hoping to see her there."

"Do you know how dangerous that is? You could've been attacked or have the paparazzi follow you for a cheap story."

"Chill, Logie. Nothing happened. Turns out she works there. We went out for a coffee and we talked some more."

"Okay, sorry for blowing up on you, bro. You just have to be careful because you know how much the media would love to see one or all of us stumbling from a bar. But, why are you listening to strange music and watching the silent film. You even started wearing your hockey helmet less."

"I don't know. She's likes all this stuff, I figured if I started liking things she likes, we would have more in common. She even told me the only thing we have in common is our shortness...I forgot to mention she's shorter than me."

"Well, do you like the silent movies, the art films, the weird music?"

"No, not really."

"She has to like you for you. It's cool to want to see the things she likes, but you have to let her see you or it would seem like you're interested in those things only to sleep with her."

"I don't want to sleep with her...I mean I do but that's not all I want to do. She's funny, smart, she challenges me. I know we are here for a few weeks, but I kinda like her."

"Are you sure you're not rushing it? You only known her for a few days. What if she doesn't feel the same way? I mean, we are only going to be here for a couple more weeks. She may think that all you want is a fling since you are not going to be here for a long time."

"I guess that's why she won't let me get to know her. I know time is an issue. I just really like her and want to know her more...only if it is as a friend."

"Also, you don't have to keep her hidden from us. It may look suspicious that you don't bring her around us How about you invite her over? That way she doesn't feel like you're trying so hard to be with her."

"I have to see if she's free. I'm seeing her after I watch this movie."

"Alright. Just be careful." Logan went back to the kitchen, and Carlos resumed the movie.

Watching the film, Carlos knew Logan was watching him with caution. He knew Logan would be worried about him being taken advantage of. The talk with Logan made Carlos think. Was he trying too hard to impress her? He worried what the guys might say if they do meet her. She's the type to not sugarcoat anything. If she hated you, she will let you know. She have often told Carlos how annoying he was, but the one thing that forever puzzles him is that she still talks to him. He snapped out of his thoughts and continued to watch the movie.

After finishing the movie, Carlos called Miriam and told her he finished watching the movie. He told her he was returning the DVD and asked if she was free. Driving to her apartment, Carlos thought about what Logan said. It was pretty stupid of him to try to force himself to like all those things just to impress her. What they had he couldn't quite explain but he just figured it didn't need an explanation. He just hopes when the guys meet her that they see she's not hanging with him for other reasons. Pulling up to the side of the street, Carlos got out of the car and buzzed the outside intercom.

"About time you returned my DVD." she said as she swung the door open. "I was gonna hunt your ass down for it."

"Nice to see you, too."

"Don't give me that sarcasm." Miriam rolled her eyes when she saw him pout a little. "Fine, I'll quit busting your chops. Come in."

"I can smell the mint from here. You're making tea?"

"Yeah, you want some?"

"Sure." Carlos sat on the black leather loveseat. He watched as she went into the kitchen pouring his tea into a mug. Carlos heard something in the background noticing hypnotic soul music playing. He haven't heard soul music since he was little when his father came home to relax after a long day at the police station. He was wondering what was taking Miriam so long. He turned his attention over to the kitchen and saw her swaying to the music. In that moment, Carlos had to stop the thoughts of Miriam that were way beyond the friend-zone realm. Looking in another direction, Carlos saw the view from her window. He jumped when he felt the loveseat dip a bit when Miriam sat down.

"So, how did you like the movie?"

"It was okay. I still think silent movies are kinda weird. At least this movie made me feel manly after watching it. The Twilight movies bored me...too many girls arguing over who's hotter."

"Tell me about it. It gets pretty nasty. My cousin is Team Jacob. She called one girl a bitch and said she was a slut. I don't see how you deal with teenage girls now. They are some ruthless assholes."

"It's easier than you think. Though we do have some die-hard fans."

"I really don't get their thinking...if someone objects or talks shit about your music, then their number one response is 'go die in a hole'...and they misspell hole as W-H-O-L-E. I really don't see what the fuss is all about with Big Time Rush."

"Well, you never know." Miriam saw a look on Carlos' face. He wanted to ask her something.

"What do you want? And don't give me that coy 'I wasn't going to ask you anything' response."

"I was wondering if you wanted to meet the guys. I know you said you did not like our music, but maybe you can see us as more than a cheesy Dance/Pop group. Plus, they actually thought my disappearances were because I'm on drugs."

"I do know of a couple of drug-dealers that sell up the street." Carlos was disappointed that she would even suggest drugs. "I'm joking! Learn to take a joke. As liberal as I am, I'm conservative when it comes to drugs." there was a pause. "Do your friends know I hate your music?"

"Not really. I know you have your opinion of us and our music. None of us are pretentious douches. Just get to know us and see how we really are. I know you're tired of just talking to me."

"If the rest of the group are like you...I get annoyed with you enough as it is. I can't imagine three more of you"

"Is that a yes?"

"Sure. But if I'm uncomfortable, or get annoyed, I'm leaving! When do you want me to meet them?"

How about tonight?" Miriam rolled her eyes and nodded yes but she looked hesitant to go.


	6. Chapter 6

Miriam was at her apartment getting ready to hang out with Carlos and the rest of Big Time Rush. She knew if her cousin knew she was about to be in the same room with her crush, Miriam forgot his name, she would be angry. Though, Miriam did find the irony in her seeing the group knowing whenever she heard their music she wanted to stick icepicks in her ears. She didn't really want to admit it, but she was warming up to Carlos. He still annoyed and bugged her, but she was on more amicable terms with Carlos. He was to pick her up since she only drove him to his place once and forgot the address. Sticking a piece of gum in her mouth, she avoided smoking the cigarette that was in her purse that she desperately wanted.

Carlos told James and Kendall that the girl he was hanging with was coming over. Of course they made jokes about him having a girl over. Logan told them the whole story of Carlos and the girl being friends...well, almost friends. Carlos left the loft driving in his car not sure how tonight would turn out. He had Logan invite his close female friend so Miriam wouldn't feel like she was the only girl hanging with the guys. Arriving at her apartment, he honked his horn waiting on her to come down. Carlos smiled as she came from her apartment. He loved seeing her massive hair was in a huge puff. He opened the door her smiling at her as she got in.

"FYI, if you're at an apartment, you never honk the horn. I don't know if that's the norm in LA, but, in Chicago, a dude could get shot like that. Don't let this nice neighborhood fool you."

"You know, normal people say 'hey, how are you doing' or 'what's up'...you know, actual greetings." he saw her glare at him. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah..."

"You make it seem like a death sentence."

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't like anything in the world than to hang with Big Time Rush. Oh, goody!"

"Okay, so you hate our music, but you're being close-minded. We are pretty nice guys."

"Sure you say. Am I going to be the only girl there?"

"Nope, Logan invited a really good friend of his." Carlos pulled from the curb and started driving back to the apartment. He could tell Miriam was uncomfortable. One he had the radio on and it was a Top 40 station. Second, she realized that they were actually getting closer and that meant she was going to miss his company. It disturbed her how much she has shared with a complete stranger that will be gone in a few weeks. Would they still be in touch or will she undoubtedly be his Chicago crush and will move onto the next girl once he's back in LA. "Miriam?"

"Huh?"

"Did you pay attention to what I said?"

"No, I spaced out for a minute. What were you saying?"

"Nothing. I was just mentioning little stuff about my friends. Doesn't matter, you'll meet them soon. You won't be tortured by my music anymore."

"It's your car, your radio..."

"True." he laughed and flashed his cute, goofy grin. She was thankful that the station played an old Boyz II Men song which eased her nervousness. As soon as she was getting into the song, Carlos cut off the engine indicating they were outside the apartment. She looked up and saw it was indeed the apartment where she dropped him off. "Ready when you are."

"Let's get this over with."

Carlos smiled as he hopped out of the car. Miriam was a little nervous of actually being able to go inside the luxurious apartment. She felt she didn't belong there. Another factor was she had to admit to herself that she was friends with Carlos. It wasn't easy since they only known each other a mere few days, but Miriam honestly felt like she had a friend. Of course she would never admit this to Carlos. He was smug enough as it is. Carlos always parked in the secret entrance to avoid the open in case any fanatics wanted to enter the apartment building. He really hoped the guys saw how nice Miriam was and how much she was likable. Before he left to pick up Miriam, he told them she didn't really like their music. Kendall made a joke about changing her mind. They entered the building not really saying anything to each other. In the elevator ride up, Carlos looked at Miriam's face. He desperately wanted her as more than a friend. The complications of having a long-distance relationship crossed his mind, but he didn't care. Finally, they reached the floor and Carlos held out his hand for her to exit first. Once at the door, Carlos opened the door hoping the spacious loft didn't intimidate her. Miriam felt three pairs of eyes on her waiting for Carlos to introduce her.

"Uh, guys, this is Miriam. Miriam the guys...Logan, Kendall, James."

"Hi." Miriam slightly waved.

"So you're the one Carlos was talking about. Wow, you really are shorter than he is. Finally, Carlos, someone you tower over!"

"Very funny, James."

"This is April. She's a friend of Logan's."

"Nice to meet you, Miriam. Glad I wasn't the only chick here."

"I was thinking the same thing."

"I hope you don't mind, Miriam, but I was thinking we watch Pulp Fiction and From Dusk Til Dawn?" Logan held up the DVDs.

"Oh, hell yeah. Carlos could've told you, besides me liking my 'art films' as he called it, I have a soft spot for Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez."

"Great. Do you want anything to drink? We have water, coconut water, juice, soda, beer, wine, whatever you want."

"Hmm...I'll take a beer."

Carlos and Miriam moved to the living room with the rest of the guys. He knew they thought he was crazy that he liked Miriam, but he didn't care. Miriam sat down noticing all the guys still staring at her wondering of her intentions. That was yet another reason she didn't want to be near Carlos. There would be accusations of her being a gold-digger groupie jumping on the first man with the biggest cash flow. Even she would be suspicious if she was in their shoes. Carlos kept looking at Miriam checking to see if she was comfortable. He saw the guys staring at her not sure what to think of her. If only they knew that she was repulsed by him being famous, how she shot him down at every turn, how much she wanted to kick herself for letting her guard down and enjoying talking and listening to music with him.

While watching the first movie, everyone had seen Pulp Fiction a million times, so they weren't really paying attention to the movie. Miriam surprisingly talked with all the guys plus April. Her first reaction was they were going to be arrogant, pretentious celebrities having a false sense of entitlement. What she got was four guys from Minnesota who still had their heads on their shoulders. The way Carlos interacted with Kendall, James, and Logan made her find a new-found appreciation for him. Not that she would tell him that. Miriam found herself answering the guy's questions about herself. She had to admit, it was awkward for her to be the center of attention.

"So, Carlos told us you work at a blues club? Is it any good?" Kendall asked Miriam as he grabbed some popcorn from a bowl.

"It is actually. The owner likes listening to Chicago blues and Mississippi blues. Most people here listen to Chicago blues...go figure. It's not that many people my age that listen to it, but I appreciate the lyrical genius blues artist have."

"Yeah, thanks to you Carlos was listening to tons of blues. We all thought he was crazy. What?" James looked around as Logan and Kendall glared at him for saying the last sentence. "Sorry, not that listening to that kind of music makes you crazy...shutting up now."

"It's okay, James. I know people think I'm strange because I listen to music that's a little out there. I'll admit, I sometimes listen to pop and contemporary stuff, but it's rare. I'm pretty sure Carlos has told you my views on your music...I'm heading into rough territory here, but Carlos can tell you I'm blunt. I really don't like your music." Carlos nearly choked on his soda. He felt this was going to a bad place. "But, someone told me to look past the exterior of the music and see the person or in your case persons behind the music." Miriam knew she probably stepped over the line. But, she wasn't there to try to impress Big Time Rush. Everybody fell silent for awhile until Logan spoke.

"I could live with that. You know, not many people would tell us that to our face. At least you're honest. So many people in LA would just agree to every word we say because they think they should. Don't take it personal when I say the stuff that Carlos listened to wasn't quite our cup of tea."

"I don't always listen to blues and jazz. I like Neo-Soul and underground hip-hop. Some days I'm in a indie rock or folk mood. To be honest, I have a very complex, eclectic taste in music."

"Don't I know."

"Hey!" Miriam lightly pushed Carlos which made everyone laugh.

They started watching the other movie explaining some scenes to April who's never seen it. Miriam felt the tension ease away from her. She knew her big mouth would get her into trouble. It must have been tough for Carlos to sit there and hear that their music basically made her cringe. She appreciates Logan honesty and acceptance of her strong opinion. Carlos was relieved that the rest of the guys began to warm up to Miriam. She definitely did not hold back on her opinions. It was unfortunate that she wasn't a fan of their music, but maybe, in a strange way, it was better. While watching the movie, Carlos could tell Miriam had relaxed her hard demeanor and even talked girl stuff with April. The night ended with them talking about differences in LA and Chicago. Miriam was quick to defend her Chicago Cubs versus the Los Angeles Angels. After Carlos mentioned to James that Miriam's cousin was a huge fan of his, James gave Miriam a signed T-shirt to give to Ashley. It was getting late, so Carlos decided to drive Miriam back to her apartment. Carlos changed the radio to a Latino station.

"You didn't have to change it because I said Top 40 made me hurl. I'm really sorry for tonight. I didn't mean to cause an international incident with your friends."

"You didn't do anything wrong. You were honest. I would be disappointed if you lied. I think it was pretty cool, and so did the guys." Carlos drove until he reached Miriam's place. "We're here."

"Well, tonight was interesting. I actually enjoyed myself. Goodnight." before Carlos could register what was happening, Miriam leaned over and kissed his cheek hopping out the car leaving Carlos too stunned to say bye to her.


	7. Chapter 7

The next couple of days, Carlos was back at work rehearsing and working on the new album with the guys. He was productive, but the one thing he couldn't shake from his mind was Miriam kissing him on the cheek. Yes, it was an innocent kiss, but it came from the very girl who often claimed to hate his guts. It was so random and unlike her that he was left speechless and confused. Part of him just shrugged it off as one of those spontaneous drunken moments, but he kept thinking about it.

Miriam was spending yet another day with her cousin Ashley. She was once again sitting in the passenger side teaching Ashley how to drive. Sometimes she wondered why her aunt and uncle would always call on her to be Ashley's personal driving instructor. Miriam debated whether she should tell her cousin with her involvement with Carlos Garcia of Big Time Rush. After the lesson, Miriam drove to the supermarket to get groceries and Ashley tagged along. Afterward, they were in Miriam's apartment.

"I so can't wait until I pass my driving test. Daddy's gonna buy me the newest car out."

"That's great! So, that band you went to see, what was their name?"

"Big Time Rush. Why? I thought you hated them."

"I was going to wait until you passed your driver's test, but I got this for you." Miriam debated whether she should give her spoiled cousin the signed T-shirt. Ashley scrunched her face up thinking Miriam got her some knockoff T-shirt of some obscure band. Her mouth flew open at seeing James' signature on his face with the rest of Big Time Rush.

"OMG! This is James Diamond's signature! How did you get this? I am so gonna die right now." Miriam winced as Ashley let out a scream. "Wait, this isn't some other person's shirt...if it is, you can have it."

"It's a shirt that James got out for you and signed it. If you're gonna act like a spoiled brat about it, you can just give me the damn shirt back!"

"Okay, sorry I even asked. But...how did you know James got the shirt to sign." Ashley saw Miriam shift. "What are you not telling me? You met them, didn't you. See, I knew you would like Big Time Rush."

"It's not like that. I can't believe I'm saying this. That day when you went to see them at that signing thing, a friend of mine who worked at the bookstore let me use their designated smoking area. I was minding my own business when some guy came over complaining about me smoking."

"You really shouldn't."

"As I was saying, a guy came over...I didn't know who he was until I got a good look at him...it was Carlos, though I didn't know his name at the time. He thought I was a damn fan. He tried to talk to me and I brushed him off. I thought he was one of those celebrities trying to get into some assumed fan's pants. Do not give that look!"

"You...of all people to meet at least one member of Big Time Rush...it had to be you. You don't even like them! Was that it? Did you have James sign the shirt that day and you're just now giving it to me?"

"Look, I really don't give a shit if you believe me or not. I'm trying to get to the damn shirt if you would stop interrupting me!" Miriam's patience was wearing thin. She wanted to abandon telling her cousin of how her and Carlos met.

"Okay."

"I mean, we just talked about stupid stuff. I really wasn't all that into the conversation. I know, I know. Any fan would want to talk to him and I would get the 'what's wrong with you' glare of death, but I really don't care. When you called, I left. I did not know until later at work that a spare napkin from Gin Alley fell from my pocket. I was cool until I saw him at my job. I thought he was a crazy stalker. I'll spare the details, but we've been hanging out since. Well, when he's not busy doing whatever the hell he's doing with his band. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to seem like some opportunist, especially since I'm not that crazy about their music."

"You met Big Time Rush...I can't believe my cousin met Big Time Rush! OMG I have to tell Michelle!"

"No! Nobody can know that I met them! I'm really a private person and it would be exploiting them."

"Since when did you care about Big Time Rush?"

"I don't. I just don't want any teen fans sending me hate-mail and death-threats telling me to 'go die in a hole' and some other bullshit."

"Fine...I won't tell anyone...you really suck the fun out of gloating to other bitches."

Miriam prayed that her cousin would keep her mouth shut. She really didn't want to be internet and tabloid fodder. She just wanted to be a normal person that's not mixed up with an international celebrity. She drove her cousin home threatening to beat her to one inch of her life if she ever told. It was bad that she had to threaten her own cousin, but she needed to make sure no one knew. It was ironic though. She had agreed to see Carlos that night after her early shift at Gin Alley.

Carlos told the guys about the kiss which made Carlos the butt of every joke they could think of. Logan warned him to be careful. He trusted Miriam, but he warned Carlos that they were not going to be in Chicago long and would have to leave soon. Carlos wanted to forget about that kiss, but he just couldn't forget. It had to mean something. She wouldn't just kiss his cheek for nothing? Would she? Carlos just shook his head and decided to meet Miriam at her apartment. Being in the spotlight under constant watch made it harder for Carlos to see Miriam unless he was in disguise.

"What the hell are you wearing?"

"It's a disguise so the paparazzi wouldn't follow me here."

"I see, so you decided to allude the paparazzi and attract the police? You look like a gang member. Carlos Garcia part of the Latin Kings, now?" Miriam couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you finished, or are you gonna let me in?"

"Come in, _ese_! You want a beer? Or, will you be drinking 40s now?" Miriam walked to her kitchen to get the beers from the fridge. Carlos knew he was going to miss her sarcasm and wit whenever they left for LA.

"Ha-ha..." he sat on her loveseat taking off his disguise. "Why are you so dressed up? I thought you just got off work?"

"I did. Once a month the employees dress out of the uniform...just to shake things up a bit." Carlos was referring to Miriam's attire of a yellow dress, a black and white polka-dot scarf, and yellow silk lilies in her Afro.

"Cool. So, did your cousin like the T-shirt James signed for her?"

"She thought it was a fake. I almost didn't give it to her. I...kinda told her about meeting you."

"Meeting me? I remember it wasn't a meeting when we met...more like you cursing me out."

"Well, I couldn't tell her that I cursed you out or she would definitely hate me. I'm a little worried though. I think I made a mistake telling her. I mean, what if she tells her friends and they come knocking at my damn door asking for you or your friends?"

"I didn't think of that. I'm pretty sure it's okay."

"You don't know my cousin. She was gonna rub it in some girl's face. I had to threaten her life so she wouldn't tell anyone. I still don't think it's effective."

"Would it be a bad thing if she did? We are just two people that hang with each other. There's no harm in that."

"What are we doing, Carlos? Where is this going? You said you have to leave soon. Who are we fooling? It feels kind of like camp. We promise each other we will still contact each other...then, one or both of us loses touch. It was nice, but we have to face reality. You're a famous rockstar that's leaving. You're trying to make it more than what it is."

"Why do you have to over-analyze everything. Do you ever just live in the moment? And stop referring to me as a rockstar. I'm just me...Carlos Garcia from Minnesota."

"The average person doesn't have to wear a disguise to hide from the paparazzi."

"Yes they do! Average people can go into witness protection!" there was a long pause before the two of them burst out laughing. "That was pretty stupid, huh?"

"Kinda." Miriam leaned back against the loveseat. "Ugh, my feet are killing me! Never wearing those damn shoes again!"

"Need a foot massage? And before you say anything, I'm just doing it to be nice." he hoped Miriam didn't try to punch him. It was a risk asking to do such a personal thing, but he had to take it.

"How about I kick you in the jaw?" Miriam saw his face turn into fear. "You really are an annoying gentleman from Minnesota, aren't you? I will allow you to do this one time. I swear if you tell anybody about this I will hunt you down!"

"Damn, you really don't mess around with the threats."

Miriam playfully rolled her eyes and reluctantly placed her aching feet in Carlos' lap. He started working on her feet blushing when he heard her sigh in relief. It made his mind go into overdrive as he thought about her. Miriam could deny it all she wanted, but Carlos knew she had some sort of feelings towards him. He heard a noise and turned to see she had the radio on. How come he didn't notice it before? It was a jazz station, which he wasn't surprised given Miriam's taste in music.

Carlos decided to start a conversation with Miriam before it got awkward...though, it was past awkward. He was touching the very woman that intrigued him since his stay in Chicago. He hated to admit that Miriam was right, but she was. Did he find her fascinating because he would only get to know her during Big Time Rush's brief stay in Chicago? He tried to listen to her talk about some of the horrible customers she's had over the years of working at Gin Alley. His mind always went to her.

Once Miriam told him she felt better, she sat upright on the loveseat. He desperately wanted to kiss her full lips, feel more of her soft coco-brown skin, touch her wild, puffy hair. He guessed her Afro felt soft like a cotton ball. Miriam had stopped talking as she saw Carlos had moved considerably close to her. Not that the loveseat left them much room for space. She was about to say something when she felt Carlos' lips crash onto hers.


	8. Chapter 8

Carlos couldn't believe he was kissing Miriam. Her lips were soft and juicy...everything he imagined it would be. It was involuntary the way he kissed her. He felt his body gravitating to her, and before he knew it, Carlos was kissing her. All that could be heard was the slow, melodic trumpet played by Chet Baker accompanied by their heartbeats. He knew once they pulled apart, Miriam would kill him. Miriam was shocked to have Carlos lips on hers. It surprised her, yet she just melted into the kiss. Suddenly, she came to her senses and pushed Carlos away from her.

"What the hell!"

"Oh shit...I didn't mean to...I was just..."

"You have to go."

"Look, I'm sorry. I just really like you. I have never felt this way about a woman."

"You barely know me. Like I said before, what are we doing?"

"I didn't even realize I was kissing you until it was too late. I don't regret it, though."

"You should. Have the fact that you will leave soon not enter your mind? Okay, so you aren't some lame ass celebrity looking for a fuck, but you have a naïve notion that we will have something deeper than what we have. Face it, it can never happen."

"It can't or you won't let it? You're always saying I will forget about you and move on to some dumb bitch in LA. I will never forget you. I understand if you want to kick me out, but let me just say that I respect if you only want to remain what we are...whatever it is. Maybe if we had more time to know each other, it wouldn't be so awkward."

"That's what I want. I hate admitting this...I kinda got used to you bugging me. There's a lot of things running through my mind. Should we? Is it even possible? What will happen afterward? I'm bothered to have feelings for a person in a short amount of time. It took me forever to even realize that." Miriam looked at Carlos' confused face.

"I'm really sorry for kissing you."

"I didn't mind. Though, it can't happen again." Miriam saw the disappointed look on Carlos' face. "If it makes you feel any better, it was a really nice kiss."

"I know."

"Shut up!" she playfully nudged him. "What do you want to do?"

"You're not kicking me out?"

"No, I wouldn't kick out someone in the freezing cold unless they deserved it. You want to watch a movie or something?"

"How about we talk?" Carlos stared into Miriam's eyes.

"Carlos..." Miriam bit her lip out of nervousness. It was hard not to pull him close to her and take him to her bedroom. She cursed herself for having sexy music playing in the background.

"Just as friends. You said we don't know each other. How about we start now?"

"Fine. What do you want to talk about?"

"You go first."

Miriam's lips still tingled long after the kiss. Maybe it wouldn't hurt talking to Carlos, right? Carlos sat on the loveseat looking at Miriam as she went into the kitchen. He could tell she was frantic and nervous about being in a room with just her and him. It was almost a reason for him to laugh but figured Miriam would not be happy. He thought about how they could keep in contact when he's back in Los Angeles. He could ask if she was on Skype or had a Facebook. Meanwhile, Miriam was in the kitchen stressing over talking with Carlos. Her mind kept telling her to ask him to leave and never speak to him again. Her heart, on the other hand, was stubborn and assured her that nothing was going to go further than a conversation. She had no idea what they were going to talk about...or how to start the conversation. Miriam spotted her bottle of wine and grabbed it along with two wine glasses. She returned to the living room.

"As this is awkward for me, as I'm sure it's weird for you, how about we start off with a glass. Wine always help me to relax...well, any alcohol helps me."

"What kind of wine is it?"

"It's an Italian wine. Okay, how should we start this?"

"I don't know." Carlos noticed Miriam poured a pretty hefty amount of wine in their glasses. "You do know I drove here, right?"

"Well, just sip yours." Miriam inhaled her wine glass and poured another one.

"I always wanted to know how you got into silent films."

"Well, when I was in school, I had a friend who studied Art. She was working late in the studio and I had just came from a long day in the library...two long research papers."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. Anyway, I was chilling in the studio with her and she was watching a silent film. It pulled me in, because I have always been fascinated with the look of silent films. The way they can convey so many emotions without saying a word. Well, they could...just it couldn't be recorded. I know, it's boring and artsy."

"No, I find it very interesting. The one you let me watch, it was pretty awesome."

"So, what made you decide to give up being a hockey player and be in a sugary-pop boy band?"

"Switching topics, are we?" Carlos smiled once he saw a playful look on Miriam's face. "To answer your question, it was Kendall. James wanted to audition for Gustavo Rocque and he basically turned him down. Kendall stood up on this table and sang "The Turd Song" to Gustavo. We all thought we were going to get kicked out. Or our asses kicked. But Gustavo was impressed. But only wanted Kendall. Knowing how we would never leave each other in the dust, Kendall told Gustavo it was all of us or no one...and the rest is history."

Carlos finished his glass and Miriam poured him another glass along with hers. He noticed she was smiling more than she ever had before. Miriam told him why she chose to study Gender Studies and Journalism. They talked about politics, movies, music...though Carlos felt like he needed to defend the sound of Big Time Rush whenever Miriam made fun of his band. Miriam went to change the radio station. Suddenly, Carlos heard funky, smooth music playing that still had jazz elements to it. She returned to the couch and finished her wine. Carlos realized his head was swimming and he was no longer fit to drive. He debated calling a taxi, but he wanted all the time he had with Miriam before he leaves. He hated that. They've become so close...even if Miriam often pushed him away. Carlos was brought out of his thoughts by Miriam.

"Okay, your turn to ask me something."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Carlos tried to think of a question to ask her. He heard the sensual song playing in the background. Before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth. "Dance with me."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Come on, don't tell me you can't dance."

"For your information, I can dance. I just don't want to. I worked hard and my feet hurt."

"Come on...please, for me. I promise I won't bother you again."

"Yeah, you should've said that a week ago." Miriam stood in the middle of her living room and Carlos stared up at her. "Don't just sit there...get your ass up. You wanted to dance."

"Yes, ma'am." Carlos laughed and stood in front of Miriam. He hesitated putting his arms at her waist but did it. He let out a sigh of relief as Miriam wrapped her arms around his neck and not strangle him. They began to move side to side in an awkward, non-fluid motion. Carlos knew all the thoughts running in his head would get him slapped if he dared to speak them out loud. He wanted Miriam...no doubt about it. She was so mysterious and bold. He wanted to feel her skin, touch her. Carlos leaned in and once more kissed Miriam. Of course, Miriam pulled from the kiss.

"Carlos...we can't."

"Please. I want you. I can't take it. I want you so bad. I know you feel the same way."

"I do...but we can't..."

"Please...just think of it as release. Nobody has to know...not even the guys." he kissed her cheek moving down to her neck.

"I would know." she moaned as Carlos inadvertently hit a spot that made her knees go weak. What about your fans?" she tried to reason with him...mostly with herself.

"We are two grown people...Miriam, just let go..." Carlos whispered in her ear and it was all she needed to hear.

Damn the consequences. Miriam fell face first into what she tried to resist. She pulled him into a kiss hearing a delicious moan erupt from his throat. Miriam felt herself being pulled closer by Carlos. She could feel his growing erection through his jeans. All her reasoning of why they shouldn't went with the song. Another song started playing which worked more against her reasoning. Carlos could feel a heartbeat thumping...not sure if it was his or Miriam's. Suddenly, he was dragged down the hallway which led to her bedroom. He reached up and felt her soft Afro. His hand moved down to slowly unzip her dress. Stepping back to remove his shirt, Carlos took in the sight of Miriam. He eased her unto the bed pulling the dress off her body. He nibbled and kissed a trail from her neck to her navel and back up again. Miriam's head was spinning and in her haze she gained some sense and halted Carlos.

"What?" he hoped Miriam didn't change her mind...he was too aroused to stop.

"Protection...in the drawer by my bed..."

Carlos nodded and pulled out condoms from the drawer. He kissed Miriam again letting his hand glide against her coco-brown skin. All Miriam could do was shiver. She definitely needed this. Carlos removed his jeans and underwear smirking as Miriam eyed his manhood. Opening a foil packet he rolled it on his erect dick. Carlos climbed into bed pinning Miriam down with his weight. Miriam moaned as Carlos entered her wet cavern. Carlos imagined this scenario several times, but actually experiencing it was far better than he imagined. He loved hearing her moans and sighs. Soon, they created the right tempo that led them to both reach their climax. They both laid there ready for more.


	9. Chapter 9

The sun filtering through her window awoken Miriam from her sleep. The first thing she realizes is that she's naked. Last night came flooding back into her memory. Carlos' hands all over her body, his kisses and caresses, his goofy smile that she secretly loved. Miriam wanted to cling to this moment, because she knew it wouldn't, and shouldn't, happen again. Last night, in the back of her mind, Miriam knew she would feel regret the next morning and that's exactly what happened. The man next to her was leaving to return to LA. It would never work out. She couldn't help but look at his sleeping form. Carlos woke up with a satisfied half-smile. Sleep was still in his eyes, yet he took in the sight of Miriam sitting up in bed. He knew she was feeling guilty. Even with her pensive state Carlos was in awe of her beauty. Her afro framed her face perfectly. He tried to speak but didn't know the right words to say. Finally, he took the initiative to converse.

"Good morning."

"Morning."

"You look so beautiful right now..."

"Carlos..." he loved how his name rolled off her tongue, even if it was to chastise him. "I can't believe we did that last night."

"Last night was amazing."

"It shouldn't have happened in the first place. It can't happen again."

"Don't regret what we did...because I don't. Do you still think all I wanted to do was fuck you?"

"No. But, you have to admit this is crazy. We haven't known each other that long and we just slept together. I'm not one of those one-night stand chicks. I wanted to get to know you before we ever gotten in the bed...that fact that you're leaving was more reason to not pursue anything with you."

"I know this wasn't how I imagined us being here, but I just couldn't stop. I really like you, Miriam. Yeah...I'm going back to Los Angeles, but I want to still talk to you when I leave. I want to keep seeing you until I get on that plane. I still want to see you after."

"How are you gonna do that? You live on the other side of the country. Plus, you touring and being in the group, you wouldn't have time for me. That and you can't get caught being seen with me."

"I don't care if I have to dress like the Easter Bunny. If it means I can see you, I will do it."

"You are not gonna stop hassling me until I say yes, huh?"

"What do you think?" his lazy smirk was tempting Miriam to fuck him again.

"You're such a damn Napoleon."

"Are you saying that because I'm short like Napoleon? If so, I'm a cute Napoleon." all Miriam could do was scoff and slide out of the bed. She grabbed the bottom sheet and wrapped it around her body. Carlos watched Miriam as she made her way over to her window. Her skin glowed in the sunlight. He could feel his dick growing hard looking at her coco-brown skin. His naughty thoughts were interrupted by him locking eyes with Miriam. Her face still held questions of what they were. Carlos would make her see that she wasn't a one-night stand or a trophy to show off to the press.

"What?"

"I'm just thinking..."

"Thinking about what?"

"If you didn't blow smoke in my face...if you were like any other fan."

"You know how that sounds, right? You sound like a celebrity douche."

"I wasn't finished. I was about to say, before I was interrupted, if you were just another fan I would have been disappointed. You would already have an idea of what I'm like, and would try to mold yourself into the perfect fan for me."

"Does it look like I'm a fan?"

"You'd be surprised at how many girls would agree on stuff they know they despise just because it's me. You're different. You practically hate everything I like."

"Not all things...I can put away quite a few corndogs."

"Ha-ha. I'm being serious. You are honest with me. That's what I like about you. Also, I can be as silly as I want in front of you...not caring how cheesy or silly I can be."

"Why couldn't you be a douchebag?! You're making this harder to regret last night..."

"I think that was the nicest thing you've said to me." oh, how he was going to miss that glare. "Look, if you don't want to talk to me, I understand. It would suck not being able to see you before I leave, or even continuing to talk to you when I go back, but just know that I will never stop thinking about you. At least think about it before you rip me a new one."

"I'll think about it. You have to understand I need some time to think."

"You have every right to."

"I'm going to shower. Try not to break anything."

"I'll be right here."

Miriam rolled her eyes, but Carlos knew, by now, that is was a playful eye-roll. She walked into her bathroom closing the door only to lean against it. Last night and everything that happened up to this point swam through her head. Miriam had one dilemma. She could either insult Carlos and tell him to never talk to her again, or she could tell him that she would love to continue their...she wasn't sure what they were. She let the sheet drop and turned on the shower. Stepping inside, she let the water wash over her like Carlos' words. He was glad she wasn't a fan. She saw him for everything he was...flaws and all. Aside from the many insults and jokes she makes at his expense, Miriam actually loved his goofy smile and his naïve charm.

Carlos was in bed thinking about last night. He could still smell her scent on the sheets, the way she moaned and panted, her breathing when she tried to control when she would come. He wondered if Miriam would be more open to him if they waited until they knew each other better. Yes, even he had to agree that this was not the way he wanted to be with her. However, there was a bit of hope that Miriam would allow him in her company. He finally peeled himself off the sheets and lazily swung his legs over the bed. Carlos heard the bathroom door open and turned to see a shocked Miriam.

"What are you doing?! Turn around!" she wrapped the towel tighter around her. Carlos could see her flushed face.

"Don't tell me you're shy, now? I saw you naked last night."

"You saw me in dim light! I'm not taking this off until you turn your ass around." with a scoff, Carlos reluctantly turned around. He had to admit that this was first time he saw Miriam vulnerable...make it the second time. What he would give to see her naked skin once more. He tried to keep his breathing in control to not become erect again. Memories of last night came at him full force. "You can turn around now."

"Where are you going?" he looked at Miriam noticing she was dressed up in a beige tank-top with a beige paisley floral dress over it.

"None of your damn business. You ain't my boyfriend."

"Not yet."

"Carlos..." Miriam said in a warning tone.

"Fine. I won't mention it again. You look nice."

"Thank you. I'm gonna make me some breakfast. At least put some fucking pants on. I don't want to lose my appetite."

"Very funny."

Carlos watched as Miriam walked out the room. He stood up searching for his clothes. Carlos knew it would look suspicious when the guys saw him in the same outfit he wore last night, but he didn't care. He was in the process of buttoning his pants when he heard music coming from the living room. This time it was African music instead of jazz. For someone who never played a musical instrument nor sang she really loved music. Too bad she didn't like his music. He was putting the rest of his clothes on thinking about how one day she will be his girlfriend. He can tell she wants a relationship with him, but there are too many factors. For one, he's a megastar and she's just a average everyday person. They live on opposite sides of the United States. He finished getting dressed and walked to the kitchen and saw Miriam had made coffee for the two of them.

"I never knew you cared."

"Shut up and drink the damn coffee."

"I like the music, by the way. Are you sure you don't have musical talent?"

"You don't want me to sing. Trust me. I'm one of those people who know I can't sing for shit."

"I'll take your word for it. You work tonight?"

"Yeah, after I meet up with a friend of mine, I go straight into work."

"Ouch. Damn, this song is good." he jumped up from his seat and started dancing.

"And this is coming from someone who mostly listens to Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga." Carlos blew Miriam a raspberry to which she rolled her eyes and decided to dance with him. He was having so much fun until he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled out his phone and saw and urgent text from Logan to call him.

"Hey, Logie. What's up?"

"Where the fuck are you?! Gustavo is here at the studio and he's pissed you're not here!"

"I'm over at Miriam's." Carlos could hear Gustavo ranting in the background. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Just hurry. I don't know how long I can lie and say you're still asleep at the apartment."

"I'll be there! Cya, Logie." he hung up the phone and noticed Miriam smirking into her coffee mug. She must have heard Gustavo. "I guess that's my cue to leave."

"You should leave before the guy I heard yelling comes out to kill you." Carlos was on his way but not before grabbing a piece of Miriam's bacon. She cursed him while he mischievously grinned.


End file.
